[Comparison of quantitative hepatitis B virus DNA levels in serum and liver biopsy samples of chronic hepatitis B patients].

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is an important health problem worldwide. Relapses in CHB patients, even treated, create a major problem in patient management. The aims of this study were the detection of quantitative levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the sera and liver biopsy specimens of CHB patients and the comparison of the results.

[Case report: strongyloidiosis with chronic abdominal pain].

The case was presented here in order to point out that an immunocompetent child might have Strongyloidiosis infection that might be misdiagnosed. A 9 year old male patient who had chronic abdominal pain with a feeling of weakness was treated several times for urinary tract infection. He had never been tested for the presence of parasites.

[The frequency of the presence of intestinal parasites in students of Arslanbey Primary School].

We investigated the frequency of the presence of intestinal parasites and the factors affecting this frequency in an elementary school. We tried to discover whether there was a relationship between the presence of intestinal parasites and sanitary habits such as hand washing, toilet flushing, and use of human manure, cleanness of drinking water and also the educational level of the parents. A total of 114 students participated in this study.

[Distribution of intestinal parasites among patients who presented at the parasitology laboratory of the Kocaeli University School of Medicine Hospital].

In this study, 5178 fecal samples collected from patients who applied to our university during May 2003 through June 2005 were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites. Out of 5178 samples, 4560 of them were collected with cellophane tape preparations. Fecal samples were examined using native- Lugol and the trichrome staining method after sedimentation by formal-ethyl acetate concentration.

[A small water-borne tularemia outbreak].

The aim of this study was to investigate a small tularemia outbreak in a village of Karamürsel county of Kocaeli province (located in North-west part of Turkey), between 22 January - 8 March 2005 and to present the anti-epidemic measures implemented. Following diagnosis of oropharyngeal tularemia in two patients living in the same village, a field investigation was performed at this region. All patients have undergone physical examination.

[Prospective evaluation of the risk factors, etiology and the antimicrobial susceptibilities of the isolates in nosocomial bacteremic patients].

This study was aimed to assess the frequency, risk factors and etiology of bacteremia and antimicrobial susceptibilities of strains isolated from adult bacteremic patients hospitalized in Kocaeli University Hospital, Turkey during a 12-month period. Blood specimens obtained from a total of 2602 patients after at least 48 hours of hospitalization, were cultured in aerobic BACTEC 9120 and BACTEC 9050 (Becton-Dickinson, USA) automatized systems, and the identification and antibiotic susceptibilities of bacteria were performed by VITEK 1 (bioMerieux, France) system. Blood cultures of a total of 385 (14.

Emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a tertiary care hospital in Turkey.

An intensive care unit (ICU)-based OXA-23-producing multiple-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) outbreak was detected between October 2005 and October 2006. A total of 47 patients were infected/colonized with the outbreak strain. Clinical data were available from 37 patients.

Molecular structure and vibrational assignment of melaminium phthalate by density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations.

The molecular geometry, the normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignment of melaminium phthalate (C3H7N6+.C8H5O4(-)) in the ground state were performed by HF and B3LYP levels of theory using the 6-31G(d) basis set. The optimized bond length numbers with bond angles are in good agreement with the X-ray data.

[Squamous cell carcinoma of the palm: a case report].

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from the palm skin is very rare, having a very aggressive course and poor outcome. A 74-year-old male patient presented with a painful and rapidly growing nodular lesion, 20 mm in size, in the distal part of the right palm. He received antibiotic treatment at another center with the thought of an infection, and then with oral corticosteroids with an estimation of a granuloma.

[Can HBsAg levels guide to differentiate inactive HBsAg carriers from HBeAg negative chronic B hepatitis?].

It is valuable to differentiate the inactive HBsAg carrier state from HBeAg negative chronic B hepatitis (CBH) which develops due to precore or core promoter region mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HBsAg S/N (sample rate/index calibrator mean rate) levels in the differentiation of inactive HBsAg carriers from HBeAg negative CBH cases. A total of 134 HBsAg positive patients followed-up in Kocaeli University Medical Faculty hospital between June 2004-September 2005, were included to the study.

High prevalence of OXA-51-type class D beta-lactamases among ceftazidime-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp.: co-existence with OXA-58 in multiple centres.

Objectives: This study was designed to demonstrate the prevalence of the newly discovered carbapenem-hydrolysing class D enzymes, OXA-51-type and OXA-58, among clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp.

Methods: A total of 72 isolates from six centres were studied. Isolates were screened by PCR with specific primers for bla(OXA-51-type) and bla(OXA-58).

[Low positive anti-HCV microparticle enzyme immunoassay results: do they predict hepatitis C virus infection?].

Antibody screening tests for hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) can yield false positive results among populations such as Turkey, with a low prevalence of HCV infection. This may lead to the unnecessary use of expensive tests like HCV RNA for confirmation. However, HCV RNA is not always positive in samples with low S/Co (signal to cutoff) ratios.

An outbreak of SHV-5 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit; meropenem failed to avoid fecal colonization.

An outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-Kp) in a neonatal intensive care unit prompted a prospective surveillance study between 12th September and 6th October 2003. Surveillance was carried out by obtaining stool samples twice a week. The DNA relatedness of the isolates was shown by random amplified polymorphic DNA comparison (ERIC-PCR).

Outbreak of tularaemia in Golcuk, Turkey in 2005: report of 5 cases and an overview of the literature from Turkey.

Tularaemia was diagnosed by TaqMan RT-PCR and microagglutination tests in 5 patients, all from a new settlement constructed after the earthquake of 1999. During the follow-up, 129 more cases were found in this settlement (data from the local Health Care Authority). In this study, clinical features of 5 cases are presented briefly, and the Turkish literature on past outbreaks of tularaemia is reviewed.

Genetic and enzymatic properties of metallo-beta-lactamase VIM-5 from a clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae.

A VIM-5-producing Enterobacter cloacae isolate (EDV/1) was identified in a collection of clinical strains stored before 2002. The gene, bla(VIM-5), was located on a 2,712-bp BamHI-HindIII fragment of a 23-kbp (approximately) nonconjugative plasmid (pEDV5) in a class 1 integron as a single gene cassette.

PER-1 is still widespread in Turkish hospitals among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp.

PER-1 type beta-lactamases were screened among ceftazidime-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A total of 176 non-repetitive isolates (84 Acinetobacter spp.

[Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C virus, human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis in the blood donors].

Transfusion-transmitted infections are the most commonly encountered complications in transfusion practice. Serological markers for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Treponema pallidum were screened in blood banks routinely. These tests are obligatory for transfusion safety and may give an idea about the seropositivity rates of a specific region.

[Dermatophyte species isolated from patients prediagnosed as onychomycosis and the value of fungal culture].

In this study, the clinical specimens taken from 390 patients who were prediagnosed as onychomycosis have been investigated by direct microscopy and culture methods, in the Mycology Unit of Central Laboratory of Kocaeli University Medical Faculty. Twenty-one (41.2%) of the 51 microscopically positive samples revealed positive cultures for dermatophytes, whereas 32 (9.

Turkish nursing students' perception of caring.

Although caring is a difficult entity to explain or define, many authors consider that caring is the central and unifying domain of nursing. It is important that nursing students understand what care is in order to be clear about what good nursing care is. This qualitative study was conducted to clarify Turkish nursing students' perception of caring.

[Esterase activities of Candida species].

The aim of this study was to determine the esterase activity of clinically important Candida species and to evaluate tween 80 opacity test medium as an additional identification method. A total of 118 Candida isolates (86 C. albicans, 12 C.

Change in nursing students' perceptions of nursing during their education: the role of the Introduction to Nursing course in this change.

This study was performed to investigate the changes in students' perceptions of nursing during their education and to evaluate the role of an Introduction to Nursing course in this change. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 39 nursing students at their first educational season. Within the first hour of the Introduction to Nursing course (which was conducted by the researcher), the students were asked to define nursing according to their own ideas and they were requested to give written answers.

Comparison in a rat thigh abscess model of imipenem, meropenem and cefoperazone-sulbactam against Acinetobacter baumannii strains in terms of bactericidal efficacy and resistance selection.

Background: We compared imipenem, meropenem and cefoperazone-sulbactam against hospital originated A. baumannii strains in terms of bactericidal efficacy and selection of resistant mutants during treatment in a rat thigh abscess model.

Methods: A total of 18 strains were inoculated in 54 animals (one strain for three animals).